Plastic Free July

Words: Klean Kanteen UK / Images: Klean Kanteen UK and Beeskin

It’s Plastic Free July time again, and although fighting plastic pollution is a cause we campaign for all year round, this is the perfect time to share some more tips and use our voices to promote living as Plastic Free as possible.

This movement has inspired 100+ million participants in 190 countries, hopefully we can also inspire you to take part this year!

On average, humans use about 1.2 million plastic bottles per minute in total. Approximately 91% of this plastic is not recycled and sadly lots end up harming wildlife by making its way into our oceans, rivers and littering green spaces. So, as well as turning down as much plastic as possible, it’s also important to repurpose where possible and if you’re able to take part in local beach cleans or litter picks then that is fantastic.

This Plastic Free July we thought we’d take time to share some of our favourite plastic alternatives to help you live a plastic-free lifestyle.

Starting with an obvious one here but using a reusable stainless-steel bottle instead of purchasing single-use plastic ones is such an easy eco-friendly swap you can make. Plus, if you go for an insulated bottle then they will keep contents hot or cold, so you don’t need to get anymore single-use coffee cups or plastic bottles to enjoy drinks on the go. Thanks to the rise in refill points, you can normally keep refilling a reusable bottle while out for the day.

In the UK 7.7 billion plastic water bottles are used each year, with the average person in the UK now using 150 plastic water bottles every year. This is a number we really need to see decrease as a lot of these plastic bottles end up in landfill, so make this simple swap and you won’t regret it.

Another amazing eco swap we want to highlight this year is from our friends over at beeskin. Their reusable, beeswax wraps are the perfect alternative to single-use plastic clingfilm and sandwich bags. Available in a range of sizes and prints, they also do reusable food bags and beeswax wraps on the roll, so you can cut it to the perfect size you need. They are a revolution for picnics, lunch boxes and food on the go. Pair it with our plastic-free lunch boxes and you’ve got yourself a great set of reusable food solutions.

Their beeskin beeswax wraps are 100% natural, guaranteed to be reusable for 1 year, and at the end of their life they are easily disposed of in the compost which is much better than sending plastic to landfill. Every single Beeskin is made and checked in Berlin, so you can be assured of great quality from this brand.

You can get 20% off at beeskin now with discount code NoPlasticIsFantastic – valid on your first order on all beeskin products!

If you can access a zero-waste shop, this is the perfect thing to try this Plastic Free July to allow you to cut down on plastic from the supermarkets. Take your old jars and containers to your local store to get a range of food, cleaning products like laundry detergent and refills without the unnecessary plastic.

Moving away from the kitchen and into the bathroom, they are a lot of plastic-free swaps you can make here to massively cut down on single-use plastic. Instead of buying endless bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body wash we massively recommend switching over to solid shampoo bars, conditioner bars and the old classic – bars of soap! The options now for shampoo and conditioner bars are extensive on the market, they last a lot longer then a bottle of shampoo and help you avoid plastic bottles. So why not shop around and give some a try?

You could also swap to reusable face wipes, instead of wet wipes which are extremely bad for the environment. Use bamboo toothbrushes instead of plastic and if you really want to avoid plastic in the bathroom check out Georganics for their range of plastic free toothpaste, mouth wash tablets and compostable dental floss.

Switching to plastic-free solid deodorant instead of aerosols is another great environmentally friendly change you can make this year, we love Wild sustainable, natural deodorant for the amazing range of scents and their planet friendly compostable refills.

Why not head over and let us know your favourite plastic-free swaps @kleankanteenUK on Instagram and Facebook, where we will be sharing more tips throughout the month!